Toddler-Friendly Fourth of July

Not all toddlers embrace Independence Day events as enthusiastically as their older siblings. Late nights, thunderous fireworks displays and way too many sugary snacks can lead to epic meltdowns. In order to celebrate the holiday without sending your tot over the edge, consider these low-key, yet festive Fourth of July activities: Fireworks in a Glass Fill a tall glass with warm water. Next, add a little cooking oil to the water. Depending on the size of your container, one to two tablespoons should suffice. Then, add a few drops of food coloring to the oil and water. Gently stir the … Continue reading →

Television? What Television?

A funny thing happened yesterday. For a couple of months, Dylan has wanted to watch a few shows on PBS every weekday morning. It was something that we started in the middle of winter, when it was too cold to go out and play until around lunch time. As the weather warmed up over the past couple of weeks, I started to fear that perhaps Dylan’s morning TV time would cut into his outdoor play time. While I think that the shows that he enjoys are of good quality, I don’t necessarily like the idea of him sitting there watching … Continue reading →

What Toddlers Learn at the Playground

Now that outdoor play weather is here, my boys and I have been spending plenty of time out in the yard. That has been wonderful, and we have lots of fun together, but to keep things interesting we like to go out to some local parks and playgrounds a few times each week. Not only do the various play structures enable my little guys to develop new and exciting (okay, sometimes terrifying) physical skills, the presence of other children gives them a chance to play and interact with someone other than me. While I do have to stay pretty close … Continue reading →

Redefining Rainy Day Fun

Many people think about indoor activities like reading, doing crafts, watching movies, or baking whenever they hear the words “rainy day fun”. Tuesday was a rainy day here, but we just were not having much fun indoors. There are plenty of fun things to do indoors at our house. We have blocks, a workbench with tools, tons of toy vehicles, stuffed animals, inflatable blue dogs that you can sit on and bounce around the living room, art supplies, books, movies, and more. However, even though it has officially been springtime for almost a month, the weather here has been cold … Continue reading →

A Great Day For Us

Saturday was a great day. It was productive, yes, but that was not the thing that will make it stand out in my mind as a great day. What made Saturday so great is that I was able to do a couple of things with the boys that we don’t usually get to do. Most days, we have a fun time at home, especially now that we are able to be out in the yard. On Saturday, I combined the business of going out to do errands with the opportunity to bring Dylan to a special event and also to spend some time … Continue reading →

Saying so Little, Learning so Much

My family had a fun day today. Part of our Easter celebration included meeting up with the boys’ grandparents at a playground for some outdoor fun before we went out to dinner. We all had a lot of fun, and while we were there I realized that we were all sharing the experience of Blake’s first “real” playground experience. It was by no means the first time he has been to a playground. In fact, we probably went to a playground two or three times a week from the time that he was about a month old until the time … Continue reading →

Sunny Days are Here Again

Today I finally got my wish for weather that was warm enough so that the boys could be outside for more than an hour at a time. I knew this morning when I woke up that it was possible that today could be the day that I had been waiting for. The sun was shining and the sky was cloudless, ith a color that was the most beautifully perfect shade of blue. By the time that we were done eating breakfast and sending my husband off to work, the morning chill had worn off and it was time to go … Continue reading →

How to Make Natural Easter Egg Dyes

Kids love crafts, and coloring Easter eggs is a fun tradition that parents have been doing with their children for many years. Of course, when our great grandmothers were dyeing eggs with our grandparents, they probably were not using the egg coloring kits that you can find at the store today. If they were not using egg coloring kits, what did they use to dye their Easter eggs? They may have used one or more of the following natural coloring methods. Choosing which colors of dye to make can be a lot of fun. Canned blueberries, red cabbage leaves, or … Continue reading →

Why I Don’t Hate Caillou

Since we have been indoors much more than we have wanted to be for a few months now, I have become more acquainted with what’s on TV. While we don’t watch a whole lot of television, most days we do watch a show or two on PBS. Sometimes, it’s This Old House or a cooking show, other times it’s Sesame Street, Sid The Science Kid, or Caillou. Yes, Caillou. My three year old absolutely adores that show, and I really don’t mind it either. For some reason, though, it seems as if a whole slew of other parents absolutely despise it. … Continue reading →

Oh The Ways That They Play

Did you know that a certain amount of wild energy and boisterous play is not only normal but appropriate for toddlers? If you watch any nature show where there are groups of young animals, you will notice that roughhousing is as much of a part of their daily lives as eating and sleeping. While we are not animals, children do still have needs to wrestle, climb, and jump. Now that Blake is about eleven months old, he is moving around a lot by crawling and cruising. He loves to play alone, but he really loves to play with his big … Continue reading →